COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Minutes of Proceedings
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Room 135, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Present:
Mr Gregory Campbell (Chairperson)
Mr David Hilditch (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Mickey Brady MLA
Mr Thomas Burns MLA
Mr Jonathan Craig MLA
Mr Alban Maginness MLA
Mr Fra McCann MLA
Mrs Claire McGill MLA
Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA
In Attendance:
Ms Marie Austin (Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Judith Murdoch (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Mrs Joy Hamilton (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Sheila Mawhinney (Clerical Supervisor)
Mrs Lorraine McFarland (Clerical Officer)
Apologies:
Ms Anna Lo MLA
The meeting opened at 11.03am in public session.
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Apologies
Apologies are detailed above.
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Chairperson’s business
The Chairperson informed Members that the Clerk had requested a briefing from the Department on its final Budget allocation and the implications of this. It is intended that the Minister will attend the Committee meeting scheduled for 7 February 2008 to discuss the Budget, Programme for Government and the Investment Strategy.
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Draft minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2008
Agreed - the draft minutes were agreed.
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Matters arising
i The Committee considered the Minister’s response to its request to extend the public consultation period on the Crumlin Road Gaol/Girdwood Park Draft Masterplan, to allow for cross-community consultation. The Minister had informed the Committee that the public consultation period would not be extended and the Committee considered the reasons given.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to note the Minister’s response.ii The Committee considered a paper prepared by the Clerk on the lunchtime reception for organisations that had requested to meet the Committee.
Agreed – the Committee agreed that those organisations that had already written to the Committee requesting a meeting should be invited to the initial informal reception.Ms McGill asked that a list of the organisations that had requested to meet the Committee in relation to its Inquiry into Town Centre Regeneration be circulated to Members.
Agreed – that Committee staff should circulate a copy of this information to the Members.iii The Committee noted that the Minister had not yet responded to its letter raising serious concerns on the proposed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Regulations and requesting a meeting with her to discuss the matter.
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Committee Stage of the Charities Bill – evidence session
The following representatives from NICVA joined the meeting at 11.12am:
Seamus McAleavey - Chief Executive
Denise McCann - Members Services Manager
Paula Reynolds – Member Services Director.The representatives gave oral evidence on the Charities Bill. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Mr Burns left the meeting at 11.25am.
The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the oral evidence.
The representatives left the meeting at 11.38am.
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Briefing by Advice NI on the Benefit Uptake Programme
The following representatives from Advice NI joined the meeting at 11.40am:
Kevin Higgins – Head of Policy and Research
Arfawn Yasin – Benefit Uptake Co-ordinator.The representatives briefed the Committee on Advice NI’s role in relation to the Department for Social Development’s Benefit Uptake Programme. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Mr Burns rejoined the meeting at 12.04pm.
The Chairperson thanked the representatives for the briefing.
The representatives left the meeting at 12.07pm.
Mr Maginness left the meeting at 12.07pm.
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Briefing by Department for Social Development officials on the Benefit Uptake Programme
The following officials joined the meeting at 12.07pm:
Mervyn Adair – Acting Director of Operations, SSA
Brian Doherty – Assistant Director of Pensions and Anti-Poverty.The officials briefed the Committee on the Department for Social Development’s Benefit Uptake Programme. This was followed by a question and answer session.
The Chairperson thanked the officials for the briefing.
The officials left the meeting at 12.20pm.
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Proposed Statutory Rules (SL1s)
The Committee considered the following proposed Statutory Rules:
The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008.
The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008.Agreed – the Committee agreed to invite Departmental officials to its meeting on 31 January to provide a briefing on the proposed regulations.
Agreed – as responsibility for a small part of the regulations falls under the remit of the Department for Employment and Learning, the Committee agreed to forward a copy of the proposals to the Committee for Employment and Learning for comment.
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Statutory Rule laid in the Assembly
The Committee considered the following Statutory Rule which is subject to negative resolution and had been laid in the Assembly:
The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Joint Claims) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008
Question put and agreed:
That the Committee for Social Development has considered Statutory Rule 2008 No. 16 The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Joint Claims) (Amendment) Regulations ( Northern Ireland) 2008 and has no objection to the Rule.
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Regional Innovation Strategy for Northern Ireland – Action Plan: 2008-2011
The Committee considered correspondence from the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment regarding the Regional Innovation Strategy for Northern Ireland Action Plan 2008-2011.
Mr Burns left the meeting at 12.24pm.
Agreed - the Committee agreed to forward the letter from the Chairperson of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to Minister Ritchie inviting the Department’s views on the draft Action Plan.
Agreed – the Committee agreed not to respond to the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment on the draft Action Plan but to consider any response submitted by the Department for Social Development.
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Committee for Agriculture & Rural Development, Inquiry into Renewable Energy/Alternative Land Use
The Committee considered the briefing provided by the Department for Social Development on renewable energy/alternative land use.
Agreed – the Committee agreed not to submit evidence to the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development inquiry into renewable energy/alternative land use, but to consider any evidence submitted by the Department for Social Development.
The Committee considered a letter from the Sustainable Energy Building Forum requesting a meeting to brief the Committee.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to invite the Sustainable Energy Building Forum to the Committee’s informal reception to be held on 21 February 2008.
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Correspondence
i The Committee noted correspondence from the Fold Housing Association regarding the Department’s proposed Procurement Strategy for the Social Housing Programme.
ii The Committee considered a letter from the Minister regarding the proposed Procurement Strategy for the Social Housing Programme.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to write to the Department requesting a copy of the final draft of the Strategy for consideration, together with a full list of changes made since the original consultation document and the reasons/rationale behind the changes.iii The Committee noted a minute from the Clerk to the Committee for Finance and Personnel regarding the Committee Stage of the Charities Bill.
iv The Committee noted a letter from the Minister regarding the transfer of service delivery from the existing Child Support Agency to the Department of Social Development.
v The Committee noted correspondence from the Department relating to its request for information on Child Support Reform.
vi The Committee noted a letter from the Minister regarding the advertising of gambling in the United Kingdom.
vii The Committee considered a letter from an individual in relation to personal housing difficulties.
Agreed – the Committee agreed to ask the Department to respond directly to the individual and copy the Committee into its response. The Committee also agreed to request information from the Department on what procedures it had in place to deal with matters of this nature.
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Forward Work Programme
The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.
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Any other business
None.
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Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 31 January 2008 at 11.00am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.37pm.